MAILBAG - July 3, 2006

Changing one course would change both

The city of Costa Mesa is the proud owner of two of the best maintained and most populated public golf courses in Orange County. And yet our mayor, Alan Mansoor, has cavalierly suggested that we sacrifice these jewels for yet another playing field. I can’t believe it.

Does Mansoor have any conception of what “shrinking” Mesa Linda Golf Course to an “executive” course would entail? You can’t just chop off the holes along Harbor Boulevard. You would have to shorten all 18 holes, and that would involve the Los Lagos course also, because many of its holes are woven in-between the Mesa Linda holes.

It has taken many years and a superb groundskeeper to bring the course to its present beautiful condition. The mature trees, beautiful flower beds and pretty lake (which would be on the chopping block if this insane plan goes through) make up one of the finest assets of the city of Costa Mesa.

I thought the Costa Mesa City Council was trying to beautify the city. I thought the council was trying to save as many mature trees as possible.

I hope I’m not mistaken.

BARBARA VYN

Costa Mesa

Senior golfers don’t want executive course

It’s incomprehensible to me that the elected mayor and City Council of Costa Mesa would consider destroying one of the most beautiful golf courses in Orange County and use it for alternative recreational purposes.

If there is a need for alternative recreation sites, then why aren’t the mayor and City Council looking into the undeveloped land west of the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club that crosses Placentia and goes over to the Santa Ana River? There’s all kinds of open space there, and somebody just built a new bridge across Placentia. All it needs now is people to use it.

Cutting down the weeds and building something for AYSO, Little League, Pop Warner, etc., would be a good thing. We need to take care of our youth and provide sites for them to play. But to destroy a beautiful golf course that brings in $800,000 a year in revenue seems foolish to me.

The mayor has misjudged the golfing community. If he thinks building an executive golf course adequately compensates for the loss of a championship course, then he clearly doesn’t know the game of golf and has insulted every golfer who plays in Costa Mesa.

It seems to me that the city already has the solution for alternative recreational sites: Use the available raw land off Placentia and leave the Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club property alone.

The Costa Mesa Seniors Golf Assn. and its many members who are voting residents of Costa Mesa do not support the mayor’s idea to use the golf courses to gain additional alternative recreational sites.

I seriously doubt the golfing community at large will, either.

JOHN SMITH

President, Costa Mesa Seniors

Golf Assn.

Westside doesn’t need more housing

Is more housing what Costa Mesa’s Westside needs? I don’t think so. I think we already have a big enough population. Unless they are going to really work on the traffic-flow issues, I don’t think we need to have more residents here.

LORI PASSARELOI

Newport Beach

Newport has all the staffers it needs

Do we need 10 more staff members in Newport Beach? We don’t need the people, and we might need a new city manager if all he can think about is hiring new people.

DOUG RASMUSSEN

Newport Beach

Westside needs family homes and families

The Westside needs more single-family detached homes and fewer high-density dwellings. Today’s trendy work-loft industrial housing may be tomorrow’s slum. Real estate investor Don Pearson’s perspective on the Westside is what is wrong with Costa Mesa.

We need long-term homeowners, not short-term, buy-today-profit- tomorrow speculators.

DENNIS BARTON

Costa Mesa